Electric gas lamp with glow discharge



li hmu-fifi o 11, F. SKAUPY ET AL ELECTRIC GAS LAMP WITH GLOW DISCHARGE Filed June 6, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.4

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F. SKAUPY ET AL ELECTRIC GAS LAMP WITH GLOW DISCHARGE Filed June 6, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 11, 1925.

F. SKAUPY ET AL ELECTRIC GAS LAMP MTH GLOW DISCHARGE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 6, 1921 Aug. 11, 1925. 1,549,716

F. sKAuPY ET AL,

ELECTRIC GAS LAMP WITH GLOW DISCHARGE Filer June 6, 1.921 4 Shams-Sheet 4,

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FRANZ SKAUPY AND ADOLF FEHSE, 0F FERLIN, AND GEORG GAIDIES, 0F BERLIN- PANKOW, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO GENERAL ELEC- TRIO COMPANY, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, A CDRPOBATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC GAS LAMP WITH GLOW DISCHARGE.

Application filed June e,

are adapted for advertising and similar purposes. As is well known, such lamps consist of a glass vessel filled with rare gases and containing two electrodes, the luminous efiect resulting from the negative luminous zoneof gas surrounding the oathode. In lamps of this kind luminous si s may be obtained in a very simple and the edect obtained the cathode may be an lift ranged on a dark substratum, as of colored glass.- But with such lamps it is also possible to, obtain letters on luminoussurfaces by making the cathode of a strip of metal .with perforations in the form of letters or other characters.

In the forms of lamps heretofore described in whichthe light effect is produced bya luminous glow discharge on the cathode the second electrode always consisted of a --very small anode. Hence these lamps are adapted more particularly for continuous current, and the electrode that produces the luminous signs or characters must be so connected as to act as a cathode. To enable the lamp according to the invention to be used to equal advantage in connection with a continuous and an alternating current supply it must be equipped with a specially arranged second electrode, because this latter acts as a cathode during one half of each wave of the alternating current. To prevent these second electrodes from being dissipated during this interval of time their at BerlinO. 17, Rotherstrasse 1,

1921 Serial No. 475,351.

surface must either be made large enough, or, if they are made small, they must consist of a special not easily atomized material and, in the latter case, as the process of dissipationcannot be-entirely prevented 111 the case of such small-surfaces, they must be placed in an insulating envelop which retains the dissipated particles and prevents them from being scattered on the lamp bulb.

As the light emitted by the second electrode-that intermittently acts as a cathode if the lamp is connected to an alternating current supply cir'cuit-must not interfere with. the effect of the sign producing electrode, the surface of the second electrode must eitherbe made to radiate in a different direction from the first, or its rays must be obscured by an opaque screen.v

Furthermore it is possible to obtain lamps for alternating current in this manner, that the lettersare separated in two groups, one of which acts as a cathode and the other as an anode.

In this modification the letters or other signs can be also illuminated by continuous current arranging an auxiliary anode with a third leading in wire.

A number of constructional forms of the invention are shown in the drawings- Fig. 1 being an elevation of a lamp with the bulb portion in section and Fig. 2 a bottom sectional view of Fig. 1 showing the cathodein the form of writing on a dark substratum.

Figs. 3 and 4 are asection al elevation and a bottom view respectively of a modification in which the cathode consists of a metal strip or sheet with characters in the form of perforations. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate three types of lamps which are equally adapted for'con tinuous. and alternating current circuits.

Fig. 5 being a lamp witha small enveloped second electrode, and

- Figs. 6 and 7 lamps with a second elec- Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9 Fig. 8 and Fig. 10 is a similar section showing two sets of electrodes one on each side of the plate, and

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the sleeve 24.

The lamp shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a glass bulb 1 filled with rare gas, and conducting wires 2 which lead to the anode 3 formed in the shape of a straight line and to the cathode 4 in the form of written characters. 5 is a dark rear surface or substratum at the back of the cathode 4:.

In Figs. 3 and 4, 1 is the glass bulb filled with rare gas, and 2 are the conducting wires, one of which leads to the anode 6 whilst the other leads to the cathode 7. The cathode 7 consists of a plate with perforations representing, say, the word Ilse.'

The anode 6 consists of a wire.

In Fig. 5, 1 is the glass bulb, 2 are the con-- ducting wires, 8 is the electrode bearing writing or characters of any kind and to which one of the conducting wires is connected. The other wire 2 leads to the small electrode 9 which is placed in a small envelope or vessel 11 having an opening 10. The vessel 11 is designed to retain the metal particles separated from the small electrode during the process of atomization and to thus prevent the blackening of the glass bulb.

In Fig. 6 the reference numerals 1, 2 and 8 have the same significance as in Fig. 5. The lower electrode, however, consists in this case of a piece of sheet metal 12 covered at the top by a sheet of mica 13. Hence the upper surface of this electrode remains dark and the light is only emitted from its side that is averted from the sign producing electrode.

In Fi 7 all parts are like those of Fig. 6 except t at the plate of mica 13 of Fig. 6 is replaced by an opaque plate 14 arranged above the sheet metal electrode 12 and adapted to act as a light screen.

In the forms illustrated in Figs. 5 to 7 only the light emitted by the letter electrode will be seen by the observer, because the second electrode is either too small to produce an appreciable luminous efi'ect or it is prevented from emitting light towards the observer by the layer of mica or the light screen. At the same time the injurious eiiects of the atomization of the second electrode are eliminated either b the dislodged particles being intercepte or by making the disintegrated surfaces so large that the atomizmg efi'ect per unit of surface is inappreciable.

In the modification shown in Fig. 8 the glass container 1 is also filled with rare gas. This container is provided with conducting wires which are connected, at the points 18, 19 and 20, to the terminal contacts 21, 22 and terminal 23 respectively, which terminal the period electrode 27 depending upon whether the tongue 23 is in the position 29 or the position 28. The electrodes 25, 26 and 27 are disconnected or spaced from one another and are held to the glass support 30 by small pins 25, 26' and 27 either on one side or on both sides as desired.

The glass plate 30 is supported by a shank 31 which is inserted in the upper end of the column 33 by squeezing the walls together while hot as shown at 32.

The arrangement acts as follows:

If alternating current only is available, the tongue 23 must be bent to the bottom contact and soldered therewith as shown in dotted lines at 28; then the group 25 of the letters is connected to one of the contacts, the group 26 with the anode 27 to the other. By this connectionfor alternating currentthe group 25 of the letters acts as a cathode and the groups 26', 27 as an anode, and vice versa, so that all signs are illuminated.

If continuous current is only available, the tongue 23 must be bent and soldered to the socket contact 22 as shown in dotted lines at 29 so that all signs form'the cathode,

while the point 27 acts as an anode.

Signs of the above character have the advantage over the usual continuous filament signs in that they run cool and in that the amount of current consumed is only a small fractional part of the current consumed in. the filament type.

We claim:

1. In an electric gas lamp having a glow discharge, a glass chamber, a pair of spaced electrodes therein each of said electrodes comprising a conductor in the form of an advertisement one electrode serving as an anode and the other as a cathode.

2. In an electric gas lamp having a glow discharge, a glass bulb and a base therefor, three spaced electrodes therein, terminals on the said base, a conducting wire from each electrode connected to a corresponding one of said terminals and means exterior of the bulb for permitting one of said terminals being connected to either of the other two terminals.

3. An electric gas lamp with glow discharge for alternating current, comprising a transparent bulb filled with rare gas, two groups of signs in the bulb which act alternately as dim anode and luminous cathode.

4:. In an electric glow lamp, a glass enclosure, an anode electrode therein, an anode terminal outside the glass and a connection between the terminal and the electrode, a.

' cathode terminal outside the glass, a cathode electrode in the glass with a connection between the two and a third electrode in the less to ether with connecting means whereeither the enode or the cathode terminal at will.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signa- 10 tures. "FRAN Z SKAUPY.

ADOLF FEHSE. v .GEORG GAIVDIES, 

